Chicken Tenders Lyon

I must admit I was skeptical about this chicken dish when I saw Chef Jacques Pepin include ketchup in the sauce. I trust this man, though, with his amazing ability to create wonderful flavor palettes, so I gave it a try.

Well... this gem has become a family favorite, and I have made it my own by using white meat chicken instead of the thighs Chef uses in the video. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken tenders, trimmed if needed
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• Salt & pepper
• 5 cloves garlic - smashed and then minced
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• Dash of sriracha sauce
• 1/2 cup Muffuletta (olive salad)
• Chives or scallions for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Trim any ligament ends from tenders and lay them side by side on a plate. Add S & P to both sides.

Heat a frying pan with avocado oil and brown tenders on both sides. Once chicken is well browned, cover and steam rest of the way on low for 4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan and place on warmed serving dish with a cover. Add garlic to the pan and sautee on medium heat 30-60 sec. Add the vinegar and reduce on high heat to remove acidity. Taste… Add water, ketchup and sriracha and stir until well blended. Stir in the Muffuletta. Once warm, pour sauce evenly over tenders, add garnish and serve.

Here is Chef Pepin's original video: Chicken Lyon

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka by Chef Michael R - A Definite Favorite

This deliciously healthy Lebanese Eggplant Moussaka, also known as Maghmour combines roasted eggplants and chickpeas in a tangy tomato sauce flavored with Lebanese spices.

Just like traditional Turkish Moussaka, this healthy Lebanese eggplant dish is packed with Mediterranean flavors, making it a dream come true for eggplant lovers.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs eggplant - peeled and 1" cubed

• good quality olive oil as needed (for eggplant and sautéing the onions)

• 2 onions - chopped

• 3-4 cloves garlic - smash minced

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 3 cups fresh tomatoes - chopped

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper

• 1 tsp cumin

• 30 oz chickpeas - drained

• ~1 cup water

• handful minced parsley - add last 10 minutes of simmer

Preparation:

Preparing the Eggplants

Preheat the oven to 390 F and line one or two baking trays with parchment paper. Peel the eggplants and cut them into 1" cubes.  Place cubes in a large bowl and toss with 2-3 tablespoon of olive oil and some kosher salt. Place them on the baking sheet in one even layer. 

Bake them for 30 - 35 minutes or until they are slightly softened and brown. Remove the eggplants from the oven and set them aside until the tomato/chickpea mix is ready. 

Preparing the Tomato Sauce

While roasting the eggplants, start making the tomato & chickpea mixture. 

Place a large skillet, or as I prefer, a Dutch oven, on medium heat and add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until soft.

Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, and pepper, and give it a good mix. Add the chopped tomatoes, along with the garlic and Aleppo pepper and stir well. 

Add water to the sauce, depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes, ranging from ½ cup to 1 ½ cups. Give the sauce a stir.

Lastly, add the chickpeas and roasted eggplants to the tomato sauce, give them a good stir, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the eggplants are tender to your liking. Add minced parsley with 10 minutes remaining.

Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately. If so inclined, shredded parmesan adds to the overall delight. :-)

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Weekend Ramble: Life Moments...

One of my most favorite quotes is:

"Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet."

                                             Roger Miller

To really understand the beauty in that line, please watch as

this little girl experiences rain for the very first time:

https://vimeo.com/84802749

Feeling better about life yet? GOOD!
Now keep that smile going... EVERY DAY!

Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for your support!

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

                                                            Chef Michael R

Lemon Pepper Halibut & White Bean Salad

This is another recipe that was inspired by a restaurant chef who refused to share way back in 2013... The appetizer of bacon wrapped grilled scallops served over a white bean salad topped with micro-greens was so incredibly good that we had to order a second portion for deconstruction... something I absolutely love to do. :-) So here's what I started with:

Fantastic appetizer... really... and back then I was all about the bacon! LOL What follows is a mystery to me a decade later, as I found a bunch of pics I took of recreating the dish at home more than ten years ago, but no recipe. Fortunately I was smart enough to take a group shot of the ingredients I used, so that gave me a place to start.

After studying the old pic it was time to get to work cutting up the ingredients using sizes best I could see in the decade old images and guessing at quantities.

This looked like a pretty good balance so I just put it all together, taking really bad notes along the way. LOL Hey... creativity is not always pretty! :-)

Now that I had my salad it was time to create a proper dressing. I could see from the old picture that lime juice was included, so I immediately went to my Luscious Lemon Vinaigrette recipe for guidance. Trial and error came up with this mix.

My mix really brought it all together to create a fresh, vibrant, flavorful salad than can actually stand alone. Fish lover that I am, though, I was itching to try the halibut bites I had recently received as part of a fish order. Seasoned with my favorite lemon pepper blend from FreshJax Organic Spices and a little olive oil, they were given a quick fry and then added on top of the white bean salad.

You didn't think this was just a story, did you? *smirks* The process is pretty obvious above, but here is the ingredient list. Enjoy!

Fish:

• 12 oz cubed halibut - any other white fish or scallops will work well, also.
• olive oil
• 1+ tbsp FreshJax lemon pepper blend

Salad:

• +/-3 cups baby spinach - should yield 1.5 cups chopped
• 2 15oz cans white beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 orange bell pepper - diced
• 1 shallot - minced
• 2 medium tomatoes - seeded and then diced
• 1/2 English cucumber - peeled, quartered, seeded and diced - should yield 1 cup

Dressing:

• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 black pepper

Enjoy!

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Turmeric White Fish with Chili Lime Cucumber

 Credit for this dish goes to The Splendid Table

This is a wonderful dish of vaguely Vietnamese origins, where it is more commonly served with dill than cilantro. Both work well in my opinion, or use a mixture of the two herbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger or minced ginger from a jar
• 2 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
• 4 x 125 g (4 oz) fresh fillets of hake, cod or monkfish
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 large shallots - sliced
• 2 garlic cloves – smash minced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chili-lime Cucumber:

• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 small red chili - sliced
• 1/2 garlic clove - finely grated or smash minced
• 5 oz cucumber - peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp cold water

To serve:

• large handful of cilantro or dill- roughly chopped
• 1 oz toasted peanuts - roughly chopped
• cooked rice or rice noodles
• lime wedges

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the fish sauce, ginger, sugar and turmeric with a good grind of black pepper. Add the fish fillets and turn to coat them in the marinade, then set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine all the chili-lime cucumber ingredients. Stir and set aside to blend.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, the shallots and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the shallots start to soften, then add the garlic. Fry for another 3–4 minutes. Scrape from pan to a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to a medium heat with the remaining oil. Add the fish and fry for 3 minutes on each side. Return the shallots and garlic to the pan and add a spoonful of the chili-lime liquid from the cucumber blend.

Lift the cucumber from the chili-lime dressing and divide it among plates, topping it with the fish and shallots. Scatter with the coriander or parsley and chopped toasted peanuts and spoon over a little more of the chili-lime liquid. Serve with rice or rice noodles and lime wedges, and the remaining chili-lime dressing for spooning over.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

Asian Cucumber Salad

Adapted from a recipe on Love Bakes Good Cakes to be more diabetic friendly.

Here's another tasty option for cucumbers. It makes for a great side salad to accompany Asian dishes, or if you want a stand-alone meal, consider adding cooked shrimp as a protein. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• Monk Fruit sweetener to taste (1 packet should do)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped

Preparation:

In a large bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes until well combined.

Add cucumbers and red onion. Mix well. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Balsamic Chicken & Mushroom

Adapted from a recipe found on the ADA's Diabetes Food Hub

This simple chicken entree is budget-friendly and a perfect start to a healthy plate. Serve with a simple vegetable side like sauteed green beans or Brussels sprouts. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast - divided into four 4 oz portions
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup Wondra flour
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 10 oz sliced portobello mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Preparation: 

Place the chicken breast in a plastic bag and pound thin with a mallet.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.

Dredge the chicken in flour and coat it on both sides. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Melt the butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and bring it to a boil to reduce the liquid.

Add the chicken broth to the pan and simmer 2 more minutes. Add the chicken breast back to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Baked Cod with Spinach, Onion, Scallion & Leek

I'm really quite fond of cod & spinach pairings. Here I've added some simple flavors of yellow onion, leek and scallion that compliment the aforementioned combination nicely. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ~1 lb fresh cod filets
• 1 lb baby spinach – coarse stems removed
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• 1 leek stalk - chopped
• 2 scallion stalks - chopped
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pat cod filets dry and season both sides with salt & pepper. Set aside. Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Heat 4 tbsp oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven that is oven safe at 375F. Once oil is hot, add the onion, scallion and leek (thoroughly cleaned) and saute until onions just start to brown.

Add the tomato paste and blend… scraping the bottom to release aromas.

Lower the heat and add the spinach. Toss to blend and season with salt & pepper. Tossing occasionally, wilt the spinach down and continue cooking so some of the liquid evaporates. Turn off the heat.

Transfer the mix to an oven safe skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Spread the mix out evenly an then add the cod filets (upside down) on top of the spinach blend. Drizzle each filet with a little olive oil and place cover on skillet. Place covered pan in oven for 10 minutes. After 10 min remove cover, flip the filets and drizzle a little more olive oil and salt. Bake uncovered for another 5-6 minutes until cod is cooked through.

Serve with a tossed salad to keep the dish extremely diabetic friendly.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!